SPECIFIC AIM # 1: Determine the relationship between parenchymal tissue and alveolar volume with normal lung growth early in life We hypothesize that during the first two years of life that parenchymal surface area and alveolar volume increase with somatic growth; however, the ratio of surface area to volume remains constant, while ventilation within the lung becomes more homogenous.
SPECIFIC AIM # 2: Determine the pulmonary sequelae of premature birth and assess the effectiveness of early treatment strategies upon the pulmonary sequelae.
We hypothesize that premature birth impedes growth and development of the lung parenchyma and the airways at a corrected-age of 1-year. In addition, initiating continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and a permissive ventilatory strategy in very premature infants at birth will improve lung growth and lung function compared to treatment with early surfactant and conventional ventilation.
